Imada OK after Violent Bellator KO

Not long after he was dismissed from the Bellator Fighting
Championships Season 4 lightweight tournament in a violent knockout
loss to Patricky
“Pitbull” Freire, Imada (Pictured) faced the music. The
32-year-old Los Angeles native was left unconscious by a flying
knee, two follow-punches and a left hook 2:53 into round one of his
semifinal matchup with Freire at Bellator 39 on Saturday at the
Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

“Patricky’s a strong guy,” Imada said. “I was really hoping for
more of a battle. Stuff happens. It happens to everybody. We’re not
made of steel, so to speak.”

A finalist in Bellator’s two previous lightweight tournaments,
Imada’s bid for a third run was brutally snuffed out. Freire timed
and delivered his knee perfectly, as Imada, barely conscious in a
standing position, tiptoed backward on wobbly legs. The Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt tagged the submission specialist with two more
power punches and leveled him with a searing left hook to the side
of the head.

“I knew he liked boxing, so I was ready to do that, too,” said
Imada, who was taken to a nearby hospital for precautionary
evaluation. “Unfortunately, I got a little anxious, and I’m the one
who left myself open. I was expecting a ground game. I knew he’d
probably want to prove something by taking me down and submitting
me.”

The defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak for Imada, who had
never before been knocked flat. He did not hide his desire for a
quick return to the cage.

“I’m ready for whatever you got for me next,” Imada said. “A few
days off, right back to training, and whatever else is out there,
whatever I find. Like I said, and I mean it: I’m ready for whatever
they got next. Just give me something.”